Container for cooled transport and temporary storage of foodstuffs

ABSTRACT

A container for cooled transport and temporary storage of foodstuffs, comprising vertical partition walls at right angle to a filling opening, which container after being filled is closed by a lid and turned over 90* to a transport or storage position with the partition walls horizontal. The partition walls are hollow and exposed to a cooling medium which fills the intercommunicating hollows. The hollows may alternatively be open to the outside of the container and exposed to cooled air in a cooling room.

United States Patent 1191 Eriksen Apr. 23, 1974 CONTAINER FOR COOLED TRANSPORT AND TEMPORARY STORAGE OF FOODSTUFFS [75] Inventor: Jan Bergh Eriksen, Stavanger,

Norway [73] Assignees Trio Engineering Ltd. A/S, Forus,

Norway [22] Filed: Dec. 26, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 318,551

[52] US. Cl 62/371, 62/60, 62/356,

[51] Int. Cl. F25d 3/08 [58] Field of Search 62/60, 371, 356, 407, 62,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,422,126 7/1922 Petersen 62/62 1,693,373 11/1928 Fahrni 1,708,085 4/1929 Dougherty 2,555,502 6/195'1 Morrison 62/60 2,559,101 7/1951 'w6o1 62/371 3,151,760 10/ 1 964 Cowley 3,401,535 9/1968 Palmer. 3,483,712 12/1969 Gram 62/356 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 678,417 12/1929 France 62/356 1,196,678 7/1965 Germany 62/60 Primary Examiner-William J. Wye Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Young and Thompson [5 7] ABSTRACT A container for cooled transport and temporary storage of foodstuffs, comprising vertical partition walls at right angle to a filling opening, which container after being filled is closed by a lid and turned over 90 to a 1 transport or storage position with the partition walls horizontal. The partition walls are hollow and exposed to a cooling medium which fills the intercommunicating hollows. The hollows may alternatively be open to the outside of the container and exposed to cooled air in a cooling room.

.2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures CONTAINER FOR COOLED TRANSPORT AND TEMPORARY STORAGE OF FOODSTUFFS The present invention relates to a container for cooled transport and temporary storage of foodstuffs, especially raw fish.

Such containers are known wherein raw fish and ice are packed in alternating horizontal layers with loose partition walls laid in between the layers.

Such containers are also known wherein raw fish and ice are packed in alternating vertical layers with loose or fixed partition walls between the layers, and when filled, the container is turned over 90 for transport or storage with the layers horizontal.

In both these cases the container is thermal insulated and there is intercommunication between the layers, and the cooling medium is therefore limited to ice.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the said limitation and to make the manufacture, filling and cooling of the container simpler and cheaper.

This is according to the invention achieved in that the container comprises a number of parallel and intercommunicating, hollow partition walls evenly spaced at right angle to the plane of a filling opening for the foodstuffs, formed by one complete side of the container which is closable by a lid, and the sidewall opposite the said filling opening and one adjacent sidewall having short legs which make it possible to fill the container with foodstuffs through a hopper in a filling position in which the said partition walls are vertical, and to turn the container over 90 to a transport or storage position in which the said partition walls are horizontal, and the intercommunicating hollows of the partition walls containing a cooling medium.

The cooling medium may be a liquid or a gas which fills or circulates through the communicating hollows.

The communicating hollows may also be open to the outside of the thermal uninsulated container and exposed to the cooled air in a cooling storage, vehicle or ship.

An embodiment of a container according to the invention will below be described in connection with the drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a vertical section through the container in filling position,

FIG. 2 shows a vertical section of the same container in transport or storage position, closed with a lid, and

FIG. 3 shows a side view of three containers stacked in a cooling room.

In FIG. 1 the container is manufactured of pressed artificial material with sidewalls 1, bottom 2 and hollow partition walls 3 in one piece. The hollows 4 of the partition walls are in this embodiment open to the outside of the container so as to be exposed to cooled air in a cooled storage or the like. The container is surrounded by'a frame 5 with short legs 6 on two adjacent side walls of the container. In FIG. 1 the container is in filling position with the partition walls 3 vertical and the entire open top of the container forming the filling opening for simple filling of the foodstuffs, in this case, raw fish, through a hopper 7. The opening is then closed by means of a lid 8 as shown in FIG. 2, and the container isturned over to the storage or transport position shownin FIG. 2.

A number of containers may, as shown in FIG. 3, be stacked in a cooling storage, vehicle or ship in which the cooled air contacts the surfaces of the sidewalls, the lid and the partition walls of the container.

The intercommunicating hollows 4 of the container may alternatively be closed against the surroundings of the container and be filled with a cooling liquid for transport and temporary storage without a cooling room.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Container for cooled transport and temporary storage of foodstuffs, especially raw fish, comprising a number of parallel hollow partition walls evenly spaced at a right angle to the plane of a filling opening for the foodstuffs, formed by one complete side of the container which is closable by a lid, and the sidewall opposite the said filling opening and one adjacent sidewall having short spaced apart legs which extend away from the container and make it possible to fill the container with foodstuffs through a hopper in a filling position in which the said partition walls are vertical, and to turn the container over 90 to a transport or storage position in which the said partition walls are horizontal, the intercommunicating hollows of the partition walls containing a cooling medium, the container being spaced above its underlying support by said legs in both of said positions.

2. Container according to claim I, wherein the hollows of the partition walls are open to the outside of the container. 

1. Container for cooled transport and temporary storage of foodstuffs, especially raw fish, comprising a number of parallel hollow partition walls evenly spaced at a right angle to the plane of a filling opening for the foodstuffs, formed by one complete side of the container which is closable by a lid, and the sidewall opposite the said filling opening and one adjacent sidewall having short spaced apart legs which extend away from the container and make it possible to fill the container with foodstuffs through a hopper in a filling position in which the said partition walls are vertical, and to turn the container over 90* to a transport or storage position in which the said partition walls are horizontal, the intercommunicating hollows of the partition walls containing a cooling medium, the container being spaced above its underlying support by said legs in both of said positions.
 2. Container according to claim 1, wherein the hollows of the partition walls are open to the outside of the container. 